


It's No Good Crying Over Spilt Potion

by notwithoutsteve



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, M/M, Minor Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, a lot of Marvel characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-08-10 10:35:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7841428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notwithoutsteve/pseuds/notwithoutsteve
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hogwarts AU in which a sulky seventh-year Hufflepuff reconciles with a charismatic seventh-year Slytherin and their friends try to make it into something more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

There he is, standing in a nook on the right hand side of the kitchen corridor, concealed behind a stack of barrels. As a seventh year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, you’d expect Bucky Barnes to have understood how the entrance to the Hufflepuff Basement worked. In order to reveal the entrance, no password is required. You see, Sam had told him how it worked about a million times: something about tapping specific barrels at a certain rhythm. However, Sam had keep a single detail: if the wrong lid is tapped or the wrong rhythm is used, the intruder will be doused in vinegar and barred access. That must have happened a few times to Bucky, and every time his housemates Clint and Sam would make fun of him for about a week. Merlin, that vinegar stench.

“The year’s not even started yet and you here waiting for me to get you in? Great way to feed my grandiosity.” he hears a voice call from behind him, and Bucky turns around just in time to accept a hug from none other than Sam Wilson.

“Sure. Talking about grandiosity, did you hear Clint got Head Boy?” Bucky hugs him back, suddenly realising how long summer had really been.

“He probably did it to impress the redhead girl. He’ll get tired of it in a week.” Clint had had a crush on this one girl from Slytherin since, like, the second year. The three of them had stopped discussing about how that was probably not a good idea for a while now, obviously Hufflepuffs and Slytherins were not mortal enemies like some would say, but Slytherins generally thought Hufflepuffs were morons.

This time, Bucky payed close attention to how Sam made the entrance to the common room appear: tap the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row, in the rhythm of ‘Helga Hufflepuff’, making the lid swing open, exposing a passageway that leads them to the basement. 

“Okay, it’s not that bad.” Bucky thought to himself. When they walked in the common room, he’d already forgotten it.

______

 

It was time for the Start-of-Term Feast, the sorting of the new students into their houses, introduction of new members of the teaching staff to the student body, and important announcements and messages concerning the new school year. 

“I’m so hungry I could eat a hippogriff.” Sam exclaims dramatically, with his hand resting on his stomach. Yeah, the ceremony took a bit too long and Bucky couldn’t wait to stuff his face with the amazing stuff they served, but he also couldn’t handle his excitement to see all his friends. 

The Great Hall was filled with familiar faces and new ones too. While they walked towards the Hufflepuff table, Bucky remembered how it was to be one of those new students, the excitement and anxiety you felt when your name was called when it was time for the sorting and all. He really missed the first year. Not that he wasn’t happy right now, it’s just that those days were easier, simpler. 

“Where were you? Sam and I have been looking for you everywhere.” Bucky asks Clint, while sitting down and ruffling his hair, making it even messier than it already was.

A proud but cocky smile grows on Clint’s face. “Patrol. I’m an authority person now, remember?” He says, pointing to his Head Boy badge. 

Sam scoffs. “Authority person.” he repeats mockingly. “How’d you even manage to become Head Boy? Your academic achievement sucks.”

“I bet he’s having an affair with Professor Sprout. They waved at each other and totally exchanged looks, it was the most romantic thing.” said Wade Wilson, the captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team and probably one of the most hilarious kids ever. Once, he put an Enlargement Charm on the cover of the banned Quibbler edition and hung it on the common room wall.

Bucky looked around when the food started to magically appear on the empty plates, seeing the surprise and delightfulness on the new student’s faces always made him feel happy. He also took a look at his friends from the other houses. For example, Wanda from Ravenclaw, who was most definitely one of the brightest and smartest witches he’d ever met. She always seemed to know all the spells. Then he spotted Tony and Bruce, also from Ravenclaw, eating their roast beef and talking about something in a really excited manner. There was also Thor, on the Gryffindor table, speaking loudly and eating pork chop. On the Slytherin table, he saw Natasha, the redhead Clint has a crush on, and Steve. 

Suddenly, Bucky felt a hint of nostalgia inside. He and Steve used to be inseparable till the fourth year. That year, during the Slytherin vs Hufflepuff Quidditch game (in which Bucky was the one of the two beaters and Steve one of the three chasers), Bucky was hit by a chaser and fell to the ground. It was a pretty rough fall and the reason he has a metal arm. He knew it wasn’t Steve’s fault but at the time he was angry and that made their friendship fall apart. I mean, the damn Slytherin chaser screwed him up. Forever. 

Looking back, he knows it was stupid and he doesn’t like to talk or think about it, aware that he shouldn’t have blamed Steve for something his teammate did. But now it was too late… he couldn’t just go over to him and say something along the lines “remember we were best friends but then your stupid teammate gave me a metal arm and I decided to stop talking to you?” It was a stupid choice and now there was nothing to do about it. It’s just that seeing Steve smile and talk to his friend made him feel anxious, even kind of jealous in a way. He was his best friend. Bucky was the one who protected him when he was this scrawny little kid in second year. Who stood by his side when he lied to get into the Quidditch team. And now that he was all big and mighty everyone was all over him. It was selfish to feel what Bucky was feeling but he just couldn’t help it.

He snapped back to reality when Sam started cheering over the pumpkin tart, making everyone around them laugh.

Bucky is glad to be back, and inside he feels this year is going to be an eventful one.


	2. Chapter 2

Finally, it is at breakfast time on Monday morning that Clint finally gets to speak to Natasha who, since before summer when Clint told her about the marauders map (relic Bucky, Sam and Clint use when Filch frequently patrols the hallways at night-time, hunting down students wandering out of bed and looking for excuses to give them detentions), had promised not to talk to him until he put it back where he found it. Sam was sure she’d only said that because she knows he wouldn’t do it and didn’t want to see him again, and also that if she ever told the authorities he’d kill Clint while he’s asleep and feed him to Stormswift, the Hippogriff. Clint wasn’t at dinner Saturday night and didn’t get up in time for breakfast on Sunday, while Natasha skipped dinner Sunday night to some reading in the library. 

“We’ve only been here for a week,” says Clint as they walk toward the Great Hall for breakfast.  “How and why are you skipping meals to do work?”

“You see Barton, I’m already preparing for the N.E.W.T.s. I thought you’d be too, since you’re Head Boy. Don’t you have to make an impression on the other students?” asks  
Natasha. Clint knows she’s got a point. Will he worry about it? Nah. Maybe later.

“There’s where you’re wrong, the point of being Head Boy is that I can tell other people what to do.” says Clint. “If you think about it, it kind of counts as preparing because the  
professors think I know what I’m doing. Extra points.”

Natasha scoffs at him.  “Considering your ability to look confused at all times, they totally do.”  
They enter into the Great Hall and see that they’re some of the last people to arrive, which Natasha blames on Clint completely, (“are you really unable to walk and talk at the same time?”)

“Want to sit with me and the others for breakfast?” Clint asks.“Think I’ll sit over there with Jessica and Steve, it’s too early for your lame jokes anyway.” says Natasha. “See you in Care of Magical Creatures?”

Clint scoffs.  “Yeah, if I end up going.”

“Oh, you’re going.” Natasha replies, and they go their separate ways smiling to themselves.

Clint sits down across from Bucky and Sam and next to his housemate Foggy.  

“Morning, Clint,” says Foggy.  He’s absorbed in the Daily Prophet as usual, sipping his tea and flipping through the pages to try and find something worth reading.

“Morning,” says Clint.  He helps himself to several pieces of toast and begins spreading them with jam.  “What’s up?”

“You gonna act like you didn’t just talk to Natasha or are you waiting for us to ask you about it?” Sam asks teasingly, while taking a spoon of CheerOwls. 

“I was waiting. She’s totally into me.” Clint replies.

Bucky, who wasn’t paying attention to the conversation at all, instead watched Steve stride out of the Great Hall, his bookbag slung over one shoulder.  He looks so much like a… well, like a man now. Not like the little boy he used to be. And now Bucky wonders what it’d feel like to hug him, I mean, his chest is like, huge. His blond hair looks very very soft. Like a pygmy puff. And his ass is perfectly round, it literally does remind him of the two Bludgers, the balls the Beaters throw at the opposing team to distract them. Cause that’s what his ass does. Distract him. 

He hears Sam clear his throat next to him and realises he’d been staring at the empty doorway Steve exited through for far longer than is socially acceptable. 

“You okay?”

“Oh me? Yes. It’s just that last night I was taking a look at the new books we’re gonna be using this year and now I’m tired. A lot of books.” Bucky stops talking, then, stuffs the rest of his toast in his mouth and washes the big lump of bread down with a glass of pumpkin juice.

“I swear you guys get weirder and weirder every day.” says Sam.

Foggy notices students around them getting up to go to class and when all of them are done eating, they stand up from the table and shoulder their bags.  On Mondays, the first class the seventh-year Hufflepuffs have is double Potions with the Slytherins, and so the four of them set out for the dungeons.  Bucky finds his heart rate steadily increasing as they get closer to the room knowing that Steve is going to be there.  He doesn’t normally go all weird and stupid about guys. There was no explanation as to why this was happening, really. At least that was what Bucky thought. Lately he’d been thinking about talking to Steve, ask him how he’s been and all… Maybe they could hang out again, like old times. He attributes the heart rate and light redness on his cheeks partially to embarrassment of Sam noticing him staring into distance while he was actually thinking about the guy’s ass. He needs to stop thinking about this. 

When they get inside the classroom, most of the seats are already taken, so the four of them fill in the back.  Precisely on time, Professor Fury strolls briskly into the room, his shoes echoing on the floor.

“Welcome to the second week of classes,” says Fury, striding to the front of the room.  “I let you pick your partners last week, but today I’ll be assigning you your partner, who you will stay with until the end of term.”

The class titters nervously. I guess nobody here genuinely hates each other – it’s just that Slytherins sometimes tend to… think Hufflepuffs are stupid. Some of them are really good friends, like Matt and Foggy.. and even Clint and Natasha. - Well.

“I will be pairing up Hufflepuffs and Slytherins who haven’t interacted in my class yet.” says Fury. “Laufeyson, Lewis; Jones, Lang; Romanoff, Nelson…”  
And there’s the anxiety again. It could literally be anyone. It could be the prick who did this to his arm. And it could be the douchebag who made fun of Wanda that one time. Or it could be Steve. That’d be too much of a coincidence. The chance of him pairing up with Steve is little, he shouldn’t be worrying or getting anxious over something that might not even happen. Can you imagine if he did pair up with Steve though? that’d be so fuc- 

“Rogers, Barnes…”

Bucky gulps, trying not to show anything on his face, but – for real?  Seriously?  It could literally be anyone in the whole entire class. And it had to be Steve? Out of everyone? The hot guy who used to be his best friend and who he just stopped talking to?  He looks over at Steve and sees that is already looking at him.  They smile at each other and Bucky looks away first, clenching a fistful of robes in his sweaty palm. He has to think of what he’s gonna say. Quick.  
Snape finishes reading the list of names and the students begin to pair up and choose their work stations.  Bucky heads to where Steve is waiting him. Could this be any more like those dramatic romantic muggle movies? 

Bucky reaches the front-and-center desk that Steve has staked his claim on and takes a deep breath.  “Steve, I know we haven’t talked for so long and it is basically all my fault but I was wondering if you’d accept my ap-”

“Hey, hey, hey Buck… Don’t worry about it. It’s okay.” says Steve smiling at him.  He holds out a hand and Bucky shakes it, bemused.  “We’re good. How was your summer?”

“I spent most of it with mom at home,” Bucky tells him, a little out of breath.  “Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Bucky, there’s no problem.” says Steve, who can’t help but glance at Bucky’s left arm. “Are you okay?”

“Today,” begins Professor Fury, interrupting any further conversation, “we’re going to be brewing the Draught of Peace.  It’s not an exceptionally difficult potion – my predecessor liked to assign this to fifth years – but unicorn horn only recently became available again for classroom use due to unicorns coming off of the endangered species list.  It’s important to pay very careful attention to the color of your potion, as it’s going to indicate when each step is complete.  You can find it on page 154 of Advanced Potion-Making.  You may begin.”

“This old thing?” Bucky asks, raising his left hand. “It’s nothing.” He laughs nervously. Ok, change the subject. Quick. “I’m gonna let you know from the start, I’m complete and utter shit at potions.” Oh. Speaking way too fast.

Steve takes a minute to scan Bucky’s face, and chuckles.  “I doubt that, you made it this far.”

“Oh yeah, I studied like crazy” says Bucky, looking at the moonstone.  “I just don’t want to screw it up for you, you know.”

“Hey, as long as we follow the instructions, we should be fine,” Steve assures him.  He takes a piece of unicorn horn and a small vial of Hellebore syrup from the bottom shelf.  

“Just the porcupine quills left… oh, they’re on the top shelf, there they are.”

Bucky stands on his tiptoes to reach the top shelf but still finds that he can’t quite reach the porcupine quills.  He looks at Steve.  “Steve, uh, would you mind grabbing those? You know - you’ve really grown since we, you know, were closer.” How many times can he say “you know” in one phrase.

Steve laughs. “You noticed? This, my friend, is a lot of Quidditch practice.”  Steve goes up on his tiptoes and easily grabs the jar of quills.  “Will you be playing?”  
Bucky stares at him, trying very hard not to think about Steve training and practicing.  This is going to be an extremely long quarter if all Bucky can think about in Potions is how incredibly charming Steve is. Those blue eyes.  “What?”

“Will you be playing? On the Quidditch team?” Steve repeats.

Get your shit together.  “Oh, um, yeah. Beater. The metal arm is really good for that.” And other things.

“Guess I’ll have to work even harder to beat you then.” Steve says playfully, with that sinful smile on his face. “Right, we have to crush up all of the dry ingredients,” he says, moving the mortar and pestle to the front of the work station.  “I can do it or–”  
“I’ll do it!” says Bucky.  “If it’s okay with you. Want to at least feel like I’m contributing and helping you with something.” 

Steve smiles at him.  “Stop selling yourself short, Buck.”

“No, dead serious,” says Bucky, snapping a porcupine quill into small pieces and then starting to grind it up.  “If you let me do any of the important steps I’ll just mess it all up, so  
it’s best if I help as much as I can before we actually start.”  
Steve scoffs at him and lights a fire under the cauldron.  “Yeah, yeah. You’re exaggerating.”

Well. Turns out that Bucky is not exaggerating.  The number of times Steve has to physically grab him to stop him from accidentally ruining the potion is way too high.  

“I guess that’s orange, right?” asks Bucky.  They’re on the final step of simmering, and they only need to add the last of the powdered porcupine quills.

Steve looks into the cauldron and shakes his head.  “Too pink.  I’d call that… I’d call that salmon.”

Bucky looks amused.  “See, I will never ever be as good as you because I’m not a walking box of paint. Can’t even tell the difference between colors.”

Steve laughs.  “Yes, that’s exactly how I got my Potions skills.  I drank paint as a child and my parents didn’t find me until it was too late.”

“That’s where I went wrong, then,” says Bucky with a smile.  “My parents were too diligent, wouldn’t let me include paint in my healthy balanced diet.”

Steve laughs again. He missed this.

They both peer into the cauldron again.  “Now that’s orange,” says Bucky.

Steve stares at it.  “No, Buck. It looks the same as it did a minute ago.” says Steve, sprinkling in the rest of the powder.  “Okay, now we have to wait for it to turn white.”

“That I can spot,” says Bucky.  “I think.”

Professor Fury walks by their station.  “Good work, boys, good work.  I’m already seeing a lot of improvement over last year, Barnes.”

Bucky smiles proudly at Steve as Snape walks away.  He’s about to open his mouth to say something when they hear Pietro scream, “Wade!” from the work station two rows behind them. 

“What now, baby?” asks Wade.  “It said add the rest when it turns orange!”

“That’s not orange,” wails Pietro.  “That’s salm-”  
Boom!

The entire class jumps in their seats and Bucky, quickly grabs hold of Steve’s arm on reflex.  They turn around to find a smoking cauldron and a pair of soot-covered boys, Pietro hitting Wade in the shoulder to try and put out the fire that’s started on his robes.

“An excellent example of what happens when you don’t pay close enough attention to your potion,” says Fury calmly, walking over and smothering the fire on Wade’s robes with an empty glass jar.  “Fortunately for the pair of you, you’ve done almost everything else right, so I won’t be deducting too many points.”  He turns around and walks back up toward the front of the classroom in a swirl of black robes.

Bucky quickly removes his hand from Steve’s arm.  “I’m glad you’re my partner, you know. If it weren’t for you it’d probably have exploded something as well.”

When class is done and Bucky and Steve have successfully made their potion, the students get up and start pushing in their chairs. Steve puts his book back into his bag and then heaves it over his shoulder.

“Buck?” asks Steve.

“Yeah?”

“If you ever need any help with Potions or anything, just let me know. I’d love to help. I miss having you around.” he says. Pretty sure Bucky’s cheeks feel like they’re on fire now.

“Yes. Totally. I’d really like to hang out with you, I missed that shit sense of humor.” He didn’t even ask to hang out. He asked to tutor you. “-And, you know, since Natasha and Clint are friends, we could all hang out together. Sometime.”

“That’d be great.” says Steve.

Best. potions. class. ever.


End file.
